How many students do we have here today? College, High School, Middle School, Elementary School? All of you ARE students. In many ways you don’t want someone telling you what to do or what to think. In other ways you wish someone would give you some perspective and boundaries.

While life should be a lifelong learning process, you are in the most intensive time of learning you will have throughout your life. Many of the patterns you develop in these years will determine the way you act and the way you think for most of the rest of your life.

But while this is an important time in your life, this is a dangerous time in your life as well.

I want to talk for a few minutes about the Danger of “Knowledge”. And by knowledge I mean like what Paul said to Timothy when he wrote “turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge” (1 Tim 6:20)

You are learning more than you ever have.

You are challenging everything you have learned up until now

You are trying to establish yourself as your own person separate from your parents and separate yourself from your childhood

Sometimes you will reject things you previously accepted as truth because you find out it wasn’t true

Other times you will reject truth because someone has impressed you with a new way of thinking.

Perhaps a “cool professor”, one you admire, has challenged your belief system and before long you reject what you have always known and believed

You want to be accepted in new surroundings at work, so you go against values, morals, and beliefs to fit in, be accepted, and loved.

I just want you to think as a new school year starts, about the dangers of knowledge.

So let me talk with you about a some dangers of knowledge and about Truth that sets you free. Let’s walk through some verses in Paul’s letter to the Colossians chapter 2

Danger #1

1. Failure to Know what is Normal

What is normal for a Christian?

What is normal for the Christian life?

There are many different acceptable ways that we express our worship, our love for Christ, our Spiritual life in following him, but what should be the same for everyone?

READ Colossians 2:6-7

Paul says … “you received Christ”

A. Receive Christ

1. Everyone who calls themselves a Christian must receive Jesus Christ. Our experience may have been different. He may have called us in different ways with different circumstances but we all have to Come to God through Jesus Christ.

John 14:6 – I am the way the truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father but through me.

Acts 4:12 – “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” – he had already said in verse 10 that it was by the “name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth”

2. How do we come to Christ? All the same? Yes, the basics are all the same

a. By Grace – Eph 2:8 – “for it is by Grace you have been saved …” - Grace means receiving something you don’t deserve – you came to Christ through a free gift from God that you didn’t deserve

b. you entered into that Grace through the vehicle of Faith – it is by grace you have been saved, through Faith - … without Faith, the writer of Hebrews says, “it is impossible to please God, because everyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”Heb 11:6

c. you receive it FROMGod – it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and his (salvation) is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – The source of your eternal life, your salvation is God himself. He chose you, he chose to provide for you and he gives freely to those who ask of him.

3. that is what is normal and don’t let anyone tell you differently. Don’t let someone tell you that they have special knowledge that shows you a different way, or a different Christ, it is all because of Jesus

But Paul Also says

B. We Continue in him

HOW do we continue in Christ … what is the “secret” to the Christian life? Oh there are lots of books out there to tell you HOW, and give you the secret … But Paul says “It’s really simple actually”

1. “JustAs you received” … there’s the first hint to living the Normal Christian Life

2. Grace, Faith, and God

a. you live by Grace – that is God gives you abilities you don’t deserve, knowledge you don’t have, wisdom you haven’t gained to walk with him. You can’t LIVE the Christian Life on your own any more than you can receive it on your own. Paul prayed in his letters, 5 different times, that the “grace of the Lord be with your spirit” … you need God’s Grace gifts to live the Christian Life. Zechariah 12:10 says “and I will pour out … a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me … The normal thing is to realize you can’t do this on your own and you NEED the gift of God’s grace to sustain you and you come to him daily for strength, wisdom, understanding and then you walk

b. Living by Faith – 2 Cor 5:7 says “we live by faith, not by sight”

c. living by Gifts from God – read 1 Cor 12 and Romans 12 … and see that God has given to every born again believer Spiritual Gifts to USE in the Body. If you don’t know yours, ask the Lord, ask a Pastor in your church to help you determine your gifts and then LIVE in the Gifts from God that you have been given, by Grace, through Faith.

SO you continue just as you received … and

3. Rooted – that means a foundation of knowledge

a. in the faith … as you were taught

b. you have to know what you believe and that happens through the effort of personal Bible Study and submitting to sound godly teaching.

c. you can’t live the normal Christian life by just rocking along happy in Jesus … doing whatever feels right. The Bible says our heart is deceitful above all things … so you can’t just go along you need a base

d. you need organizations like Crusade, you need godly friends. But you also need a local church. The Local Church is the gift of God to the believer so that you can grow in Christ … read Eph 4:11-16 – you have been given the church so that you can be rooted … and

4. Built Up – if Knowing is the foundation, then DOING is how we are built up …

a. the roots you have should cause you to grow to reach out to increase in faith and obedience. A foundation is designed to be built upon … and then normalcy leads to

C. Overflowing with Thankfulness

What should overflow from our thankfulness?

1. worship – that’s what we do the most … but if your only thankfulness is a song of worship, you are missing two thirds of thankful expression … Gratefulness should lead to

2. witnessing – telling others what God has done for you … and

3. Service – doing for others because you are grateful for what God has done for us. Paying it forward finds it’s greatest expression as we serve people because Christ has served us

Danger #1 is not knowing what is normal … now that you know … DO

Danger #2 is

2. Some “Knowledge” takes us Captive

READ 2:8

There is plenty of danger out there. Plenty of “knowledge” and “truth” as people call it that will take you captive.

The word “Captive” sulagogeo /

soo-lag-ogue-eh-o/ means – to carry off treasure, to carry off as a slave

some “knowledge” is designed to take you in and carry you away as a slave

Like

A. Hollow Philosophy

1. you DO know that there is a difference between theology and philosophy, right? Philosophy is the learning that is exclusive of the technical and practical. It IS a pursuit of wisdom but it doesn’t always have practical or technical truth at it’s foundation. Theology is the study of God and God’s relation to the world. But you will be taken captive, if you are not careful, by Hollow Philosophy.

2. there is nothing wrong with having a philosophical view … but don’t let it be “Hollow” – kenos – empty, vain, devoid of truth; vessels that contain nothing; men who are empty handed and without a gift

There are people and ways of thinking that are conceited, full of themselves, without truth, truly bringing nothing to the table that is new and giving you NO thing of value not gift of life … and you will find yourself chasing a philosophy that will do nothing more than steal, time, truth, talent, and treasure

3. hollow philosophy is based on Human Tradition or Human Understanding

4. You have to ask yourself – What is in it ultimately? Is there substance? Are there answers or just more questions? Does the “knowledge” change. For example if you base your truth on science, science is constantly learning more and thus “truth” is changing …

5. If you are not careful you will find yourself diving into the deep end of an empty pool

6. There is hollow philosophy that won’t give you anything in the end and there is

B. Deceptive Philosophy

1. the word here is “apate”– which is translated “deceptive” which obviously means to deceive – but the word is synonymous with the word “dólos” meaning bait, or snare – the point is that you will be taken captive, if not careful, by philosophies designed to deceive for the purpose of snaring you, baiting you, taking you somewhere you don’t want to go and along the way proving nothing. An antonym of this word is the word “bebaiosis” meaning confirmation … this philosophy is the opposite of proof.

2. what is the purpose? To enlighten or darken to liberate or bind to a system

3. if you were to study the basic principles behind every world system and knowledge that sets itself against God, you will find that they are all bound to a system and a way of thinking that takes you away from god

4. But is this world our ultimate end? Is this all there is?

5. Or is there more? If you are bought by the blood of Jesus Christ and call yourself a Christian, you are NOT of this world, you are OF Christ, you are FOR Christ and Christ is Not From or For this world …

6. So we have to be aware in this time of learning and developing that There is a danger in not knowing nor living according to the normalcy of the Christian Life … and There is a danger of being taken captive by Hollow Deceptive Philosophies that have no greater purpose than to take you from and keep you from Christ as Lord and Master.

So how about some

3. Truth that Sets You Free

Paul wrote in Galatians … It is FOR Freedom that you have been set Free – Gal. 5:1

Free to become who you were created to be

Free to live a life based on the principles of the one who created you and then redeemed you in Christ

Free to be accountable to a Righteous Life instead of held to an unrighteous standard

Free from Guilt

Free from Regret

If you want to know Truth

If you want true Knowledge and Wisdom

4 things that will move you forward

READ 9-12

Did you see the 4 central truths there?

Truth #1

A. Christ IS God 100%

1. Jesus Christ was NOT simply a Good Man or Good Teacher

2. He claimed to be God, he said “I and the Father are One” “If you you’ve seen men, you’ve seen the Father” …

3. If Jesus were a GOOD man or a Good Teacher, then what he said had to be true, or he is a liar or lunatic.

4. any teaching that tells you that Jesus is less than 100% God needs to be thrown away, run from, rejected as a deceiving, empty philosophy. Even if it claims to be religious or Christian if Jesus is not God, it is not from God

Truth #2

B. Christ Completes You

1. there are those things out there that tell you that you can become complete through their learning, through their way, through self actualization or self-realization or self-development …

2. but Christ is the ONLY way you can be WHOLE … Without him you will always be incomplete – Acts 1:12 – there is no other name …

3. v10 says you have been given FULLNESS in Christ – or made Complete in Christ – the word is pleroo /play-ro-o/ to make full, fill up, to cause to abound, to supply liberally, to make complete in every particular

4. you will never feel full, satisfied, complete if you do not base your heart and life around Jesus Christ.

5. Seek to KNOW him if you want to fully understand anything.

A Doctor of Medicine is incomplete without the Great physician

A Doctorate in Philosophy is incomplete without the reason behind every thing, thought, and idea

A Teacher is nothing without the one who is Omniscient knowing all

A Nurse is nothing without knowing the one who looked at people and was moved with compassion

3. So Submit yourself to him NOW, in everything, in every decision, in every relationship and you will find peace and power

It is better to bow to him now than be forced to later

And the final truth that will set you free …

D. You Belong to Him

1. v 11 says we were spiritually “circumcised” … with a circumcision done by Christ”

2. this was a sign given to Abraham and his descendants to show that they belonged to God exclusively

3. When you gave your heart to God he marked you as well … How? He gave you his Holy Spirit to Mark and Seal You in Him – God “set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come”2 Cor 1:22 – “… having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the Promised Holy Spirit, who is a depost guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his glory” Eph 1:13-14

You belong to HIM – he has Marked you with his Spirit and to embrace another way, another wisdom is to go against your new nature in Christ Jesus

4. he has marked you and owns you in order to GIVE you that inheritance, to provide for you what is to come … that is a perfect relationship with him and the hope of Glory and that you might be Glorified in Him

Oh don’t be caught up in worldly systems, principles, knowledge, and beliefs.

Bring it all TO Jesus,

Through Jesus and

For Jesus … because

“From him and Through Him and To him are all things

To Him be the glory forever Amen” – Romans 11:35

<Illustration – I Love you Twice – Once because I Made you Twice Because I Bought you>